Passionate about Derby and Derbyshire. This blog will mainly feature things relating to my home city such as updates to my websites, My latest videos around Derby and Derbyshire. Reviews of software technology and random stuff. Something of interest to everyone (hopefully)

Welcome to my blog, Whats this about then?

This is a place where I will be posting all sorts of things not just things relating to Derby and Derbyshire. On here you will find details of any videos I’ve made of things in Derby and also Time-lapse, stop motion animation, Tutorials etc. If I find some useful software for PC or iPhone then I will feature it here.I’m sure that there will be something of interest to someone on my many posts.Please leave comments on any posts if you like them.Don’t forget if you are new to my blog and would like to read through the previous posts then see the Blog Archive section on the left side of this page.Also there is a Search box at the top left of the page if you are looking for something but cant remember where it was. I am a trustee member of "Friends of Friar Gate bridge", aiming to get this bridge restored.

A problem that is often asked is "how can I swap the Left and Right audio channels"
Some older soundcards used to have a tick box which said "Swap LR" but not seen that for a long time.

I have the easy solution to your problem here, you need to buy the two following leads from Amazon.
These leads are adapters, The one on the left converts a 3.5mm Jack Plug into left and right audio on RCA sockets where as the lead on the right converts 3.5mm Jack Socket into left and right RCA plugs.
By connecting these two leads together you have the ability to SWAP the audio channels.

Buy these two separate items :

Once you have taken delivery of these two leads do the following :
1) Unplug your existing headphones/Speakers from your PC (thats the 3.5mm jack plug that goes into the GREEN socket on your soundcard).
2) Plug in the 3.5mm jack plug from the left lead above into that GREEN socket on your PC.
3) Now get the other lead which has the red and black RCA plugs on it and insert the RED RCA plug into the BLACK RCA socket of the other lead and insert the BLACK RCA plug into the RED RCA socket of the other lead.
4) Now plug in your headphones/Speakers plug into the 3.5mm jack socket on the adapter lead.
5) Problem solved. Left channel is now going to be routed through to the Right ear and Right channel to the left.

Hope someone finds my solution to this problem of use. if so please leave a comment or promote my solution.

My Left/Right Speaker Test video

The idea of this video is simple, it allows you to confirm that you have wired up your audio system the right way round. You
may not think its important but imagine playing a fighting game and you
hear the enemy to your right so you turn right to fire only to get shot
because they were actually on your left side !
I discovered that my L & R cables were mixed up at the back of my computer desk and have been for months.

My speaker test video :

It may help if you play this video in Full screen mode.

When Left shows on screen there should be a voice in the LEFT speaker ONLY.
If you can hear "Left channel" in the right speaker only then this means your L & R cables are swapped over.
If you can hear "Left channel" in BOTH speakers then this means you have a short circuit OR you are using a MONO sound system.

If your system IS correct then no point in watching all 4 minutes of the video.

It will then play a voice in
the left and right speakers alternating every 2 seconds from left to
right, this will play for 4 minutes giving you plenty of time to fiddle
around with cables etc.

The time-lapse clouds I have used as a background were filmed using my modified Canon Ixus 430 camera.

On my system the "line output" from the back of the PC soundcard was connected via a switchbox (A/B Input Source Switch Box TC-12 (Part #: 50-6220) that allows me to either send the sound to my Creative Labs speakers OR to my Hi-Fi.
The Red RCA female was connecting through to the white RCA Male that was on the end of this switch box in other words Right and Left audio were being swapped !

Monday, 20 June 2016

My visit to Duffield Castle with my 360 degree Google Streetviews of this National Trust property.
"The remains of one of England's largest 13th-century castles"

Being a National Trust member I thought I would check out this site, I didn't actually know this was here until I got the National Trust handbook. I knew there was not a lot to see up there but was surprised by what state the site was in. The grass was so overgrown that it took me a while to find any remains, you can only see them in my 360 google streetviews because my camera was 10 foot high!

There were no information panels telling you stuff about the site either so left disappointed :(

The steps up Duffield Castle site are very overgrown, this makes it dark, there is no way you would want to go up here when its getting dark.

My video showing a timelapse walk up the many steps to Duffield Castle. Starting on the A6 and ending at the site of the remains :

Saturday, 18 June 2016

I'm always striving to do unique Google Streetview 360's, Here is one I did today which I have been meaning to do for a while. In the Derbyshire Village of Quarndon (thats near Allestree) there is an old British red phone box which was converted into a book exchange, Quarndon Telephone Book Exchange box was opened in January 2014. The box is located on Church Road at the top where the village hall is located, you can't miss it.

Contributions are always welcome: just find your book - or books - a temporary home on a shelf. They don’t have to be in perfect condition, but they should be clean and complete.
If you’d like to donate a quantity of books, or make a comment, please contact Mrs Laura Storey, the Parish Clerk, on 07941 052009, or e-mail her on: books@quarndon.parishcouncil.net

Saturday, 4 June 2016

Today is the last day of the 2016 Stockport Beer and Cider Festival which is held at Stockport County Footbal Club, Edgeley Park, Hardcastle Rd, Stockport, Cheshire SK3 9DD.

This year I offered to take some 360 degree photographs for Google Streetview to help the festival. I took them before the general public were allowed in on the Thursday and some at other points as well. One of the unique things about this beer festival is that because it takes place in a football stadium there are hundreds of seats to choose from.

These are interactive 360 degree photograph that you control by dragging the view point with the mouse or with your finger on a smartphone/Tablet exactly the same as you do with any Google Streetview image.

Here are some of my 360 views at Stockport Beer Festival:

A view of the festival seating plenty of places to sit !
Another view of the seating area: